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ERA11CA076

2010-11-19 · Williston, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport X60

Current FAA registration · N677Z

Make / Model
BEECH 95-C55
Year of manufacture
1965 · 45 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19651112
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8F7F8

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to properly configure and confirm the position of the landing gear prior to landing.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot of the retractable gear-equipped airplane, while the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he lowered the landing gear handle and thought he saw the green landing gear indicator lights illuminate. He then became distracted and did not check the landing gear lights again. The airplane touched down with the landing gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that the accident was a mistake and that his own fatigue or stress may have been an issue. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the landing gear handle was in the "down" position, the landing gear indicator lights were functioning, and that the landing gear motor circuit breaker had popped. The circuit breaker was reset and the landing gear was cycled six times, with no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies noted. According to the pilot, while the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he lowered the landing gear handle and thought he saw the green landing gear indicator lights illuminate. He then became distracted and did not check the landing gear lights again. The airplane touched down with the landing gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that the accident was a mistake and that his own fatigue or stress may have been an issue. Examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear handle was in the "down" position, the landing gear indicator lights were functioning, and that the landing gear motor circuit breaker had been tripped. The circuit breaker was reset and the landing gear was cycled six times with no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies noted. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Gear extension and retract sys-Not used/operated - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA11CA076.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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